An armed homeowner in Broome County, Maine, is safe and sound after a potentially deadly encounter with two burglars attempting to rob him in his home. Despite being outnumbered, he used his firearm to defend his life and property.

Here’s how it went down:

The Broome County Sheriff’s Office said a homeowner defended his house from two would-be burglars this week.

According to a news release, two Binghamton residents, Jayvon Phillip; 21 and Rozlyn Warthen; 31, have been charged with attempted murder and attempted burglary after a botched home invasion on Bradley Creek Road in the Town of Maine on Aug. 23.

Around 10 p.m., officers responded to the location and determined that a masked suspect had tried to get into the home unlawfully and pointed a gun at the homeowner.

According to the office, the homeowner exchanged gunfire in front of his home with the suspect. Two shots were fired by the homeowner and eight were fired by the suspect. Eventually, the suspect fled the area before deputies arrived.

Detectives responded to the scene to assist with the investigation. The detectives believed that the suspect sustained a gunshot wound during the shootout. The homeowner was not injured. The sheriff’s office said the homeowner was in his legal right to defend himself and his home.

Authorities said the incident was not a random attack and the homeowner was specifically targeted.

Law enforcement discovered that the two burglars arrived at the residence with firearms they had obtained illegally. Their objective was to burglarize the house. Both individuals are being charged with second-degree attempted murder, first-degree attempted burglary, and first-degree criminal use of a firearm. These charges are all felonies.

This story illustrates that even if you live in a place like Maine, which has low crime rates, it is still important to ensure that you are armed. Even in these areas, one’s safety is never a guarantee. In this case, the homeowner had been specifically targeted by the burglars, which means a potential victim can never know when danger might arrive at their doorstep.

The deterrence factor is also important. Studies have suggested that criminals are less likely to target a home if they suspect that the homeowner has a gun. These folks typically prefer easier, less risky targets.

Guns in the home do deter crime, according to a new study done for the U.S. Department of Justice by James Wright.

Wright, a professor of sociology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, surveyed more than 1,800 inmates, all convicted of felonies, in 10 state prisons across the nation. He found that 80 percent reported that burglars avoid houses when people are home because “they fear getting shot during the crime.”

“Unquestionably, guns in the home make criminals very nervous. About 40 percent of the inmates in my study told us that they had chosen not to commit a crime at one time or another because they had reason to believe that the potential victim was armed. I take that as conclusive evidence that armed citizens do deter some crimes because 39 percent lots of kids in your house, you’re probably foolish to keep a gun at home. On the other hand, if you live in a high-crime area and you feel comfortable with small arms, you take reasonable precautions and you don’t have any kids in the home, then reason would probably suggest that you keep a gun,” said Wright, who has two small children at home and doesn’t keep any guns there.

The actual question asked the inmates was, “Was there ever a time in your life when you decided not to do a crime because you knew or believed that the victim was carrying a gun?” Thirty-nine percent of the inmates answered “yes.”

We all hope never to find ourselves in a life-threatening situation. But stories like this exemplify why being armed makes it far more likely that one will come out of a violent encounter alive.